The air was balmy and quiet. The sun shone brightly through the leaves turning the forest floor around his house a riot of different colors as he stepped outside. He inhaled deeply, the smells of autumn were intoxicating. He smiled as the sound of his sons laughter poured out the doorway, shortly before the boy himself came bounding through. Deodar ran past his father, tumbling into the large pile of leaves that had accumulated around the house as the season melded from summer to fall. Tarquin reflected on how blessed his life was as he watched his young son play. He had a beautiful home, a stunning wife, a healthy son and a daughter on the way. The village had finally accepted Elysia as one of their own, and things had settled into a soothing routine that brought him a deep sense of peace and satisfaction.

Their marriage had been unprecedented. The laws agreed on by the council had seperated the races, so much so, that they feared eachother. Humans looked at Drahkin as some sort of gods, mystical beings who communed with spirits and practiced magic. Drahkins considered humans barbaric as a rule of thumb and strayed away from their lack of impulse control and volatile emotional responses. The only reason the two races ever came in contact with eachother was for trade, medicines, and on occasion education. Attending the medical conference had brought them together. Tarquin had been chosen as the envoy for Alarean, he had a gift for healing and was forever trying to expand his knowledge of the art.

His smile widened at the memory of seeing her for the first time. He had been sitting at a round table far from the door where she entered, discussing the nuances of using different derivatives of mint oils to aid in diminishing bronchiospasms in asthma patients. Her white blonde hair had caught the attention of every man in the room and a subtle hush fell over the crowd as the doors swung shut behind her and her companion. They were engaged in an animated conversation that became the focal point of the room. Oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring, the two women continued their discussion, making their way to the table in the opposite corner of the room. She wore a tailored suit in a deep shade of burgundy, her skin was pale and creamy with a subtle shimmer that showed with the rise and fall of her breath, her blonde hair fell in soft curls to the small of her back, and her eyes were a brilliant shade of green.

He'd politely excused himself from the conversation and made his way toward the table they had settled at. As he made his way across the room he took in her companion. She was also quite stunning, although seemed to be the exact shadow of her counter part. She wore a tailored suit of deep blue, her hair was dark as midnight, her skin a deep olive, and her eyes were a sea of cobalt. Together they made quite the pair, one the embodiment of sunlight, the other the depth of midnight. Clearing his throat as he arrived at the table, he introduced himself and asked if he could join them. The two women smiled in unison, becoming immediately more beautiful, and invited him to sit. Sunlight had introduced herself as Elysia, he had smiled and said it fit her perfectly. When she had inquired about his response he had explained that Elysia was a name derived from a Drahkin word meaning "lightning struck," and was an apt description for her striking appearance. Midnight had a name that fit her equally well, Kamarya meant "beauty of the moon," which he also shared with a smile. The three of them continued their conversation long into the night starting with his knowledge of the meaning of names as a topic of interest and ranging from language, to lifestyle, to medicine throughout the night.

Over the course of the next week, they sat together during the conference leaning as much as they could and discussing all the different ideas presented by the speakers. They dined together afterwards and spent the hours without presentations taking in the sights of the city they were in, shopping and exploring the many caves and coves near they beach. He quickly discovered that Elysia and Kamarya were best friends and had known each other since childhood. When the conference ended, he had gone to Elysia's room, knocking softly. She had answered, her hair tousled from sleep, and it was then that he had kissed her for the first time. Things were a whirlwind after that, both of them making as many excuses as they could to go on trips to secretly meet with the other. After six months, he asked her to marry him, she accepted and they were wed with in the year. They agreed it would be best for her to move in with him, so she said her good byes to Kamara, who she shared an apartment with and moved into his home in Alarean.

The transition had been a difficult one. Humans were rarely allowed into the village and the women especially had not looked kindly on Elysia at first. They saw her as an outsider who had stolen one of their men and they made sure she knew it. There was a time not so long ago where he spent hours at night comforting her and washing away the hurts of words that should have gone unsaid. She was resilient though, standing strong and never letting them see her tears. Everyday she went to help with the village duties, grinding flours and herbs, stoking fires and helping with potions and droughts made in the little shop where she had found the owner compassionate enough to let her work. She worked hard to learn the ways of his people and in time they had come to see her as a friend.

This morning, she was busy in the kitchen making bread and prepping the boar that they would roast for dinner. As he slipped in the door he saw she had already filled several bowls with freshly cut fruits and vegetables. She was forever encouraging Deodar to try new things, and having them out and easily accessible made it easy for the energetic toddler to do so. Quietly he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her rounded belly, placing his palms flat against her. As he did the little miracle growing with in her kicked at his hands and the resulting laughter it brought from Elysia was music to his soul. He kissed her softly on the back of her neck and asked if he could help with anything. She shook her head no as and so he took a seat at the table where he could see Deodar from the doorway and still watch her work.

"We could talk about names for her." He said. Elysia had been exstatic last week when they had learned the child would be a girl. "I know you let me decide for Deodar because he was a boy. Would you like to choose her name without my input?" She smiled at him, it was as intoxicating as it had been the first day, and he wondered to himself if he could ever love this woman more than he did now. "I would not choose without your approval," she said softly, " but I have an idea of what I'd like. I want to stay with a Drahkin name, your language is beautiful and the names are unique and have deeper meanings than human names." He nodded his approval as she continued speaking. " I want to choose a name that means something about rain, my name is an element of a storm, I'd like hers to compliment mine."

Tarquin began listing all of the words for rain, and storms he could think of. "We could name her Dima," he said, "it means downpour. Corentine is unique, it means hurricane or tempest. There are also words like Indrani which means possessing a drop of rain or Amaya which we use to describe night rains - each would make a beauitful name for our daughter." As he spoke she took out a small notebook and began writing all of the options he gave her. the list was long but she enjoyed this little game of theirs. This was the way that she had learned his language when she had first come to Alarean. She would pick a word she knew and he would give her all the Drahkin words he knew that meant the same thing. As she listened none of the words seemed to resonate with her and so she continued writing hoping one would speak to her. "There is Aella meaning whirlwinds, I know it isn't rain but it does define a part of a storm." He paused as he thought about what other words would be suitable as a name. A sudden look of joy played across his face. "I know what her name should be," he said quietly, she looked up at him expectantly. "Ualani, it means rain from heaven." Elysia smiled, it fit perfectly.

So we're lost, at least we've found each other. Take my hand, if we can't find our way out of the dark, we can make our own light. - Nicole M. Goretzke 2011